Anxiety, self-confidence and performance in Tae Kwon-Do

Area of Science:

• Sports Psychology
• Sport Science
• Martial Arts Psychology

Background:

• Competitive anxiety is a common experience for athletes.
• Understanding precompetition psychological states can offer insights into performance outcomes.
• Previous research suggests a link between anxiety levels and performance in combat sports.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between precompetition anxiety and performance in Tae Kwon-do.
• To determine if anxiety and self-confidence levels differ between winners and losers.
• To assess the predictive power of precompetition anxiety on competition outcomes.

Main Methods:

• 142 male Tae Kwon-do competitors completed the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2) before a competition.
• Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to compare anxiety and self-confidence scores between winners and losers.
• Discriminant function analysis was employed to classify participants as winners or losers based on CSAI-2 scores.

Main Results:

• Winners reported significantly lower cognitive anxiety and somatic anxiety compared to losers.
• Winners exhibited higher self-confidence than losers.
• Precompetition CSAI-2 scores correctly classified 62.68% of participants into winner or loser groups.

Conclusions:

• Precompetition anxiety and self-confidence are significant factors differentiating Tae Kwon-do winners from losers.
• The Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 can serve as a predictive tool for competition outcomes in Tae Kwon-do.
• Findings align with previous research on anxiety and performance in similar sports like karate.